I Live in the Future: January 6th- January 10th

It was 45 degrees and a rainy mess. It was January 6^th and I being taken to the airport by my Dad. After a few days of stuffing my board bag and backpack to the gills the time had finally arrived and I was about to be traveling for the next 2 days to reach Australia. After lying to the counter woman at American Airlines about how many boards I have in my board bag, she tells me that we must weigh it. I lift the 8ft weight onto the scale only to realize that it is 20 pounds over weight and the extra bag that  my Dad told me to bring ‘just in case’ was sitting behind my bedroom door 45 minutes away. My Dad got the bag.

Norfolk to Saint Louis. Much to my surprise the Saint Louis airport has security check in at each gate. In search of food I walked just barley over the line of no return when I realize that I am going to have to go through security all over again. Saint Louis checks me a little harder, and in return my bag is searched on the sidelines as other travelers and tourists alike pass me by. The Searcher has found my liquor, of which I have illegally attained. He explains to me that all liquids must fit inside a quart sized bag. I sacrifice my toothpaste to in order to fit all of the airplane bottles of Jack Daniels and move on. A Wolfgang Puck chicken pizza and I take off again.

LA. I have about 5 hours to kill. I read, call some friends, and size up the other kids in the airport that are the likely suspects of Australearn. I don’t really pay attention to any in particular until I get on the plane for the 13 hour flight to Brisbane. Unfortunately, the Qantas airplane seat lottery has provided me with a middle seat, or to the rest of us, ‘the bitch.’ I am sardined in the middle of two girls named Ashley, and one is from Tech. We shoot the small talk and actually know some of the same people.

In spite of my seating arrangement, I go ahead and warn the girls about my sudden twitching episodes when I awake from sleep in a public place. They laugh. The flight is suppose to leave at 11:50 pm (2:50 am my time), but is running about 30 minutes behind. We finally exit the gate and approach the runway when there is a loud ‘Pop.’ Yes the right tire has just burst and yes we have to go back to the gate and have it fixed. They say it will take 1 hour, but it’s finally done in just under 2. We attempt for round 2 and successfully take off at around 2:30 am (5:30 am my time). I sleep more than I would have thought and after skipping January 7^th we land around 10 am (no idea my time) on my 21^st birthday. After missing our flight to Cairns the group is all put on a flight around 1pm, so we have some time to kill.

I am ashamed to say that the American in me decided to spend his first Australian dollar on Subway. It is my first ‘Australian’ meal and I am still wondering what was put on my sandwich instead of the spicy mustard that I asked for. After I eat fresh, I people watch read, and make new friends. As we board the plane I unknowingly say goodbye to the last sunlight I will see for the next 3 days. The flight from Brisbane to Cairns is about 2 hours, but seems to pass faster after 4 Jack and Cokes and a few sketches.

The sweat is streaming down my face as I exit the plane. Finally no more planes for a few days. After haggling with the desk people about my surfboards, we all hop on a bus.

There are signs saying funny things. “XXXX,” “Pokies Here,” and word after word spelled incorrectly. Everything is measured differently... trying to figure out what petrol (gas) costs requires a money conversion then a liquid measurement conversion. I’m certainly glad that at least Time is measured the same way (for the most part). Imagine a measurement of a centi-hour, an hour that is just a little under 60 mintues. But then again there wouldn’t be minutes; it would be a centi-mintue.

We are staying at a place called “Gilligan’s:” A hostel hotel type deal with a huge indoor/outdoor bar on the bottom floor. Showers are taken, dinner is eaten, and drinking begins. Pregaming consists of my left over airplane bottles and a three dollar coke. Then downstairs we go. Shots of Absinthe and strange tasting beers all around... the night soon becomes a blur. The following day we go to a rainforestation. Here is where the site of kangaroos and sedated koalas really makes me feel like I’m in Australia. After another night much like the one before we awake on a rainy day and head to the port for the 2 hour boat ride to the Great Barrier Reef.

It is rainy out and seems like it will stay this for the entire time we are in Cairns. The rainy season holds up to its name. I strap up and hop in the water. Paradise Reef is illuminated with all sorts of fish and other ocean dwellers: Coral Trout, Clown Fish, Red Bass, Large Clams, Starfish, and Stingrays. It is simply amazing. The whole reef sways with the tide and smaller fish school together and fight the tides behind large coral heads. Snorkeling is hard work, especially when the tide is running. We head off to the second location. The second place is the reef off of Michaelmas Key. The water is shallower here creating entrapping mazes within the sharp coral walls. Sea life is abundant as before and I crave for bigger eyes to allow me to see all the ocean dwellers that live here.

We eventually have a few beers and head in, and after a quick nap we hit the town for the last night in Cairns to a crazy more or less local bar called the Woolshed.